Trials and Tribulations of a Pureblood Marriage
by PRODIGIOUS TECHIE
Summary: Postwar.  Narcissa and Lucius have problems in their marriage.  Lucius has a new career focus and Narcissa is thinking of leaving him.  Narcissa POV.  Rated M for later chapters.
1. 1  Mummy's Home

**Mummy's Home**

**Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J.K. Rowling and are part of the **_**Harry Potter **_**series. I own nothing but my imagination.**

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><p>It was late at night, the night Narcissa finally sucked in a deep breath and plucked up the courage to return to Malfoy Manor in Wiltshire. The last thing she'd seen of Lake Como were the gates of the Villa, which she had locked up before leaving. She closed her eyes, and her body disappeared, leaving a whirlwind of black smoke. Before she could even think of anything else, she gracefully landed at the front gates of her home…<em>Lucius' home<em>, _more like it_, she thought, as she'd taken her parents' villa as her current residence.

The house she had married into was still dark and foreboding. However, it seemed in need of repair. It was darker, more dreary than normal. Lucius obviously hadn't been paying attention to the state of their living conditions. He was probably too involved with trying to create his new regime.

The one she vowed never to be a part of again.

He utterly disappointed her when he decided that he would try and become the new Dark Lord, in order to regain the respect and admiration of the people of whose grace they had fallen from. Some Death Eaters had followed, already pledging their allegiance to the man that got everything wrong the first time. To alleviate these negative thoughts about his low standing, Lucius had placed bribes into the hands of the Death Eaters that now followed _him._

Unable to stand it, she had left over the holiday season last year. And now, months later, without even a word of communication with her husband, she was here again.

She entered the gates, and gained entrance to the door, as she was still mistress of the house. Narcissa had wondered constantly if her husband had obtained a mistress in the time she was gone. Her son kept reassuring her that Lucius wouldn't do such a thing, but Narcissa didn't know if she could believe it. Inside, it was too quiet. Not a soul was seen, nor could any sound but her high-heeled footsteps be heard. Everything was in disarray. She smiled to herself, with thoughts of _Andromeda would most certainly_ not_ like this mess_ running in her mind.

But that smile soon vanished when _he_ appeared before her. She had not even heard him approaching, and Narcissa locked eyes with her husband, Lucius. He was still unkempt as he was during the last war. His gray eyes had dark circles under them, and his hair was a mess. The long, beautiful hair she used to spend countless romantic nights running her hands through. He had also lost weight. Whether it was due to stress or other problems, she did not know.

He smiled weakly at her. "Narcissa," he breathed.

She inhaled a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. "Lucius," she replied in a curt tone.

"You've come home to me?" he asked, hopefully.

"I'm here because of Draco," she answered.

She watched as his face fell, but he still kept up the act that he was a man that was doing fine – that _everything_, in fact, was fine and while he may have been lonely, he wasn't complete without her. "I haven't seen you in months," he said, chuckling weakly. Narcissa didn't smile. "I've been residing in Italy. Surely I've told you this. The holiday season? You didn't even bother to visit," she said, beginning to laugh at the absurdity of the last part.

She felt her heart breaking. He was still beautiful as ever, and were she still the damned fool she was in her youth, she would take him back. She would always love him, but she could no longer be his wife.

Clasping her hands together, she stood up straighter. "I want a divorce," she announced.


	2. 2  The Confrontation

**The Confrontation**

**Disclaimer: All characters owned by J.K. Rowling and are part of the**_** Harry Potter**_** series. I own nothing of this but my imagination.**

After spending some much-needed quality time with her son, Narcissa Malfoy stormed into the large home that was Malfoy Manor. An angry sneer was evident on her face, and the long, black train of her coat flew behind her. Black-booted feet clicked their heels against the hardwood floors, loudly enough to make her presence known throughout the building.

Ever since she announced to Lucius that she wanted a divorce, he wouldn't grant her it automatically, and they hadn't talked since then. But now – _now _that she found out that Lucius actually called their son a blood-traitor, Narcissa was fuming. Not only was she angry that Lucius had wanted to take over the Death Eaters for himself, he had forgotten the importance of their actually being a family as they used to be. Instead, he only cared about the name, Malfoy, which was Lucius' by birth, of course. Of course it had been dragged down in mud ever since the Second Wizarding War and ever since then, Narcissa had been trying to build up her reputation again and separate herself from her husband.

She pushed the doors open with a _bang_ to her husband's study. Lucius had been sitting at his mahogany desk, with Death Eaters surrounding him. They all looked up abruptly when her presence had interrupted their meeting. Lucius was dressed all in black. His suit was perfectly tailored, and his pale, blonde hair was brushed back and tied with a black ribbon. He did not jump when Narcissa had surprised them all, rather, he smiled though it wasn't genuine. "Cissa, my dear," he purred, almost predatory. He wasn't about to let her leave him that easily. "What is the matter, my love?" he asked, watching the look upon her face. He was smug. She looked like she was about ready to kill.

The group of Death Eaters straightened themselves when they saw her. Their faces were not hooded, nor did they wear masks. They did wear robes befitting their dark status. Here, they didn't need to hide their identities. However, they did not bow to the wife of their new self-proclaimed Dark Lord. Lucius motioned to his men with a wave of his hand. "Out, all of you," he ordered. Of course, they would bow to him, and obedient murmurs of "Yes, my lord" and "As you wish" as well as various others were said by each of them before disapparating themselves out of the room.

Narcissa waited, fists clenched and glaring at Lucius as the Death Eaters disappeared with black puffs of smoke. "How DARE you call my son a blood-traitor?" she hissed. "Draco's done nothing but follow your every instruction for eighteen years, and he's sick and tired of watching you disgrace our family the way you've been doing up till now!" Lucius sneered at her, leaning back in his chair and gripping the armrests. "Oh. He hasn't told you, has he?" He pushed himself to stand up, the black-on-black of his clothes making him look intimidating – fit for a Malfoy and a Dark Lord.

Walking around his desk, he kept an eye on his lovely (though disobedient) little wife. "Your _son_ has disobeyed my request that he should kill that worthless mudblood, Hermione Granger. You remember that stupid little girl? Bellatrix had loads of fun torturing her," he laughed, reminding Narcissa of the skirmish that happened in their own home. He saw the horrified look on Narcissa's face. She kept herself quiet, but her jaw dropped. "Cissa, my dear, that is not a very fitting look for the wife of a Dark Lord," he purred, "unless you mean to pleasure me with that pretty little mouth of yours?" Narcissa gasped, even more horrified that he would suggest such a thing. "How _dare_ you?" she replied, stepping closer to him, but immediately regretted it.

"You know," Lucius started, "he visited here not too long ago." He placed a gloved arm around her waist, strongly gripping her so she wouldn't move. Narcissa wanted to be anywhere else BUT his arms. He disgusted her. "It's been too long since I've seen you myself." Lecherously, he looked down at her body. Though she was fully clothed as a proper Pureblood lady would, and in all her usual fashion, her clothes still hugged all the right places and he was smiling quite darkly. "As the new Dark Lord, Cissa, I require an heir. Draco is useless to me. He's no son of mine." Narcissa protested, "He's _my_ son! _I_ raised him and so did you!" She worried in her head that she may have

spoiled Draco too much. However, Draco stood up to his own father, and moved out of the manor into his own flat. He could take care of himself, whether he admitted it or not. "Nevertheless, Narcissa, I need a _new_ heir!" Lucius wrapped his fingers around his wife's forearms, keeping her close so she wouldn't move and her struggling wouldn't get her anywhere. "Stop moving," he hissed. Narcissa yelped in fear.

"Let me go!" She gritted her teeth, trying to pull out of his grip, but Lucius kept pressing her backwards towards his desk. She cried out as he pushed her back onto the hard surface, rather violently. Rearing her head back in an attempt to escape his clutches, she hit the back of it on the desk itself and winced, letting out a cry. Lucius threw himself on top of her, pressing his weight onto her body as he relished in the feel of her. "You don't know how much I've missed your presence here," he whispered, in a pathetic attempt to woo her. But he damn well knew he was scaring her, and he didn't care. "I could have picked any other whore to bed, but I stayed faithful to you." His tone was menacing. "Please stop," Narcissa whimpered, as Lucius hastily pushed up the skirt of her dress. "Oh, but I've wanted you for so long," he replied, caressing her creamy thighs. He leaned down into her neck and kissed her there. She screamed, kicking against him with her heels and constantly tried to push him off of her, but he wouldn't budge. She hit him with her fists, fighting against his advances but he was too strong for her.

He raised himself up momentarily to shout at her. "Shut up!" he said, and slapped her face before she could react. "I could call my men back in to hold you down while I take you myself. Do you want that?" Narcissa whimpered, staring into his cold, steel eyes, shaking her head furiously. "Good," Lucius said satisfactorily. "Don't move." Narcissa was too afraid – too stunned to even do so as she felt the sting of his slap on her cheek. Tears started streaming down her face as she bit her lower lip in an attempt not to sob in front of him. Lucius stood up, quickly unbuttoning his trousers pushing them down and releasing his shaft, now fully aroused at the sight of his wife lying vulnerable in front of him. He smiled, breathing heavily as he pulled down her lace underwear, just down to her knees. Narcissa knew what she was in for, and was terrified that her husband would do this to her.

In another life, so long ago, she would have willingly made love to him every single day. They had been young and in love. Married for twenty-something years, they had been supportive of each other, and Narcissa thought that Lucius' obsession for power would end with the second war, when they had stopped fighting the opposing side. She was wrong, and she realized too late that she could not keep up with living a lie. She was no longer in love with her husband, and he didn't want to let her go.

Lucius rammed his shaft into her body, and Narcissa shrieked. He did this over and over again, groaning in ecstasy while his wife suffered his violent usage of her. "Get off me!" she screamed, fighting against him and pounding her fists against his chest. "No!" she continued screaming as Lucius ignored her protests and continued biting and kissing her neck, taking every inch of her and branding her as his, a cruel reminder of the fact that while they were still married, he owned her, body and soul. And he didn't care that he was hurting her.

There was nobody around to save her, and nobody to stop her husband from becoming a monster. Her piercing screams went ignored and unheeded as Lucius spilled his seed inside of her. He exhaled the deep breath he had been holding in as he finished himself off with his wife.

Once he was done with her, he stood up, righting his clothes and looked down at his wife. "Give me a son. Or I'll kill the one we already have," he threatened.

Of course, he would take away everything she cherished. It wouldn't be the first time it happened.

Lucius walked out from his study, leaving a catatonic Narcissa behind. She was numb, horrified, and afraid. An Unforgivable Curse would have been kinder to her.


	3. 3  An Interlude

**An Interlude**

**Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J.K. Rowling and are part of the**_** Harry Potter**_** series. I own nothing but my imagination.**

Night fell long after Bellatrix had destroyed the Black family tapestry in her rage. Narcissa, for her part, did not dare come out of her room. She kept silent, blocking off her thoughts, feelings, and emotions from the rest of the world and bottling them up inside. A house elf Apparated within from time to time, bearing a tray of food and drink: lunch at first, then dinner. She hadn't touched either of the fare.

During the course of the day, she walked about the room, or sulked in a chair, though mostly huddled up in her bed. She tried to read a book off her shelf, but that didn't hold her interest for very long as she could barely get past one page. Needless to say, she couldn't escape the predicament that plagued her thoughts.

Draco was in love with a Mudblood. And not just any mudblood, it was _Hermione Granger_. Bellatrix had taken care of the problem at home: she'd burned her own nephew off the Family tapestry (along with stabbing it and stabbing it, but Narcissa had no knowledge of this just yet). It was exactly as it was in Bella and Cissy's childhood: Andromeda had been the one disowned for falling in love with a Mudblood; it was her who was subsequently punished for it by being burned off the tapestry. She didn't care, she got what she wanted.

Narcissa was conflicted in her thoughts while sitting at her vanity. She stared at her reflection for long moments, rubbing her lower lip with her right index finger. However, she was too distracted to realize what she was doing, or recognize whom she was staring at. She was raised to bring on the traditions of Blood purity, and she _had_ expected that Draco would marry a Pureblood girl. She and Lucius hadn't planned to make an arranged marriage like theirs, however. Was this the chink in their plan? That they hadn't prepared adequately for their son's upbringing?

Of course, the thought of that was absolute rubbish. She hated Andromeda for being such a compulsive know-it-all. She hated her for being so overbearing. The night she stayed in her sister's house before being held under house arrest in Draco's flat was one of the most uncomfortable she had experienced. There was little to no talking. Andromeda meant well in her own way, but Narcissa had to constantly remind herself that they were grown women, fully capable of making their own decisions. She felt unwelcome in her sister's home, small and quaint as it was.

:::

Back in her room, Narcissa's reverie was interrupted when a dark figure appeared behind her. She spotted him in the mirror and nearly jumped, then looked down at her vanity. "It's late," she said curtly. That didn't stop him from approaching. She needn't look into the mirror to know that he was smirking. "What? No 'welcome home, darling' or a kiss?" He wrapped his gloved fingers along the back of her chair. He kept his head up, staring at their reflections in the mirror. "You've been gone for over a week," he said dangerously.

"I'm sure our son has told you exactly where I was, seeing as I was stuck at his flat for quite some time," she replied, trying to keep as calm as possible. Lucius sneered as he looked down at the top of her head. Narcissa had reached for a hairbrush and started brushing her hair, not bothering to look him in the eye, whether in the mirror or directly at her husband. "I have no son," he replied. "But I am informed…that you intend to leave me," he replied, his voice suddenly more dangerous.

She did meet his eyes then, as she gasped lightly. _Of course Draco would tell him that_, she thought, her mind slowly panicking. "_Have _you left me?" he asked, his fingers now on her shoulders, inching closer to her neck. She swallowed the lump in her throat. Lucius could most certainly feel her pulse thrumming in panic. "And if I did?" she countered, still brushing her hair, a distraction to try and help settle her nerves. "I won't allow it," Lucius answered. "You have nowhere else to go, Cissa dear. You know that. You belong here…with _me_…at my side, ruling over those people who dared to bring us down." His grip on her shoulders tightened and Narcissa was forced to stop what she was doing. She looked away from the mirror and glared at him. "What will you do now, Lucius? Are you going to rape my body again like you did last week?" She had avowed herself that she wouldn't fight him. She wouldn't struggle. Perhaps she would just lie there doing nothing. The sooner Lucius got it over with, the sooner he would become bored with her and leave her alone.

He gritted his teeth. "No woman _ever_ leaves a Malfoy. I will not be made a fool of in Pureblood society! You are my wife and you shall respect me with the honor a wife gives to her husband!" He pulled her up to face him, which knocked over her chair, and shook her body. She cried out. Her arms were pinned to her sides as she tried to struggle herself out of his grip. "You're a monster, Lucius," she growled out. "_Look at yourself!_ Don't you see what you've done to our family? You've taken away every bit of happiness we've had over the years, trading it for your Dark Lord. And when he was gone, your damned pride was all that you cared about! You don't even_ care_ what happens to Draco! What about me? How would you fare if I left you? _Yes_, I want to leave you! You've _changed_, Lucius. What's more valuable to you – your pride or your family?"

Lucius slapped her. "Shut up!" he shouted, refusing to listen to the truth. Narcissa tried to cool her cheek with the back of her hand as she whimpered. _He actually hit me again_. "You're not leaving here, and that is an _order_," he added, roughly gripping her waist and pulling her body to his. "Even if it means I have to post bodyguards outside of your door or have your damned sister watch over you to make sure you stay right where you belong," he said, referring to Bellatrix and most certainly not Andromeda. He pushed her towards the bed as she struggled again. She was in her nightdress, but he was fully clothed – just like the last time he forced himself upon her. As much as Narcissa tried to resist, she could not keep her composure as she fought against him and pleaded for him to stop. He'd managed to undress himself – magically – but he preferred to rip Narcissa's clothes away, just to show that he had power over her – a reminder that he was still master of this house and was also the new Dark Lord.

"Isn't this what you want?" he asked her, still with a domineering look on his face. "To go back to the way things were a long time ago? You used to enjoy me in you so much," he said, pumping himself in and out of her. Narcissa could not feel any pleasure throughout this ordeal. "Stop it!" she cried out, but he ignored her. "You've been a very bad girl, Cissa, leaving me at all. Don't you know by now that I will always find you, no matter where you try to hide?" He laughed, squeezing one of her breasts as she screamed. "Come now, you should be used to this. You used to like it very much. Or have you forgotten?" He leaned down and bit her neck, spreading her arms on either side of the bed and pinning her down again as he sucked at her skin, kissing Narcissa all over her upper body. She attempted to scratch him with her fingernails and shove his body off of hers but he was still stronger than her. He frowned, staring at her as he let go of one of her arms, letting his hand travel along her body until he'd reached her clit and started to massage her there. Narcissa bit her lip, not wanting to give Lucius the satisfaction of seeing her in pleasure. But she was most displeased, and while she let out an, "Oh, gods!" he smirked, knowing he had cracked her shield a bit.

He turned her body over, forcing her on her hands and knees while he held onto her waist to take her from behind. Narcissa buried her face into the pillows, crying out both in pleasure and pain at what Lucius was doing to her. He spanked her ass, smoothing the area where he struck her with his hand, and spanked her again as she lifted her head up to gasp in surprise. "S-stop i-it," she groaned out, unable to deny that she was getting wetter and wetter. "Not until you say you won't leave me," he replied, reaching under her body to stroke her clit again. "O-o-ohh," was the only response he got, and Lucius was pleased with it. He stabilized their bodies, pulling her up against him, and wrapping his hand around her neck, slowly cutting off her air supply. Narcissa raised her arms up to try and pull his hand away from her neck as her vision started to blur. "S-top…you're…choking…me," she wheezed. Lucius hadn't intended to suffocate her, but merely blacked her out. He poured himself into her just the moment before she fell limp and let go of her. He turned their bodies so that they were lying in bed, Narcissa still unconscious, but with a beating pulse. "Don't you ever fucking leave me again," he whispered, before kissing her forehead and hugged her to his body as he pulled a blanket over the two of them. She didn't know how lonely he was without her there - that her disappearance from the Manor maddened him, and that he was broken when he was without her.


	4. 4 Sisterly Bonding

A/N: Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait. It's been really, really slow in RP world, well for the Postwar era at least. Marauder era has got it going on lately in my group, so that's where my attention has been. And school, mostly. I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last few chapters of this so far. I'm still trying to sort out Lucius and Narcissa's relationship because I did have a Lucius to RP with for Postwar at one point but it just sapped all my inspiration for it. Not cool. So here I am, sitting here in my "office" organizing this out to all of you. I hope you enjoy Chapter 4!

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><p><strong>Sisterly Bonding<strong>

**Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J.K. Rowling and are part of the Harry Potter series. I own nothing but my imagination. Actually I lied. In essence, this is actually the RP that my Bellatrix (Dee) and I played out, so anything that's in Bellatrix's POV is really hers. But I promise you, it goes with the storyline—everything I've written in this story so far connects to the RP group we're in, and we're trying to work that inspiration back in…eventually. Each ":::" represents the change in POV and therefore writer.**

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><p>The next morning, light streamed in through the break in the curtains. Narcissa squinted her eyes as she tried to focus her vision. She was in her room back at the manor. That much she knew. As her senses became more alert and awake, she realized that there was an arm wrapped around her waist. She was naked, and judging from the wall of muscle behind her, so was the person that shared her bed. She didn't need to guess who it was. The events of the previous night resurfaced back into her mind. Lucius came into her room and violated her again. He knew she wanted to leave, and he wouldn't let her.<p>

She turned her head as best she could to look at him. Holding her breath for a few moments, she waited to see if there was any sign that he was awake. No, Lucius was peacefully asleep, if only for the moment, and for that she was thankful. Carefully, she slipped out from under his arm and off the bed. Lucius rolled onto his back, still asleep, his white-blond hair splayed across the pillow, and for a moment, her heart skipped a beat as she was fleetingly glimpsed memories of them in the dark – when she loved him more. Truthfully she still did, but everything was different. He owned her heart. That would never change.

Narcissa went into her closet to grab a bathrobe and cover herself with it, as well as donning a set of undergarments. She tightened the belt around her waist before heading out of her room in search of Bellatrix. She also needed breakfast and a hot bath.

:::

Pale morning light filtered through the gap in the curtains of the sparsely furnished room. Bellatrix apparated in with only a faint, barely audible pop, over her bed collapsing on top of the covers. The smell of burnt wood and thick smoke still clung to her clothes and hair. The thrill and adrenaline had faded away leaving a residue of tiredness. Her eyes slowly closed, one fisted hand uncurled„eventually the satisfied smirk on her lips faded, but her other hand never released it's grip on her wand.

It was…too…much. The shock of having been torn away from all of this still rattled around in her…consciousness? And now,all she'd been severed from was and thoughts bombarded every inch of dissonant, chaotic chords of sounds mixing in with pungent smells and the fractured prism of lights moving and pulsing and the taste of ashes and zing of electricity in the air and—

Pain.

Horrible, pounding,white-hot, and intense pain. She wondered why she wasn't slashed away again, sent back to…the memories of the place of Otherness were frying away, seared and charred by whatever THIS was this?What had she done? Who—She had a form now and the memories and uncontrollable rage, disappointments, and everything that made her all flashed in like a streak of knew what this was now. Life.

She woke up still screaming.

:::

Narcissa heard the piercing scream down the hall of the Manor and chills were immediately sent down her spine. While disarmed from her wand for the moment, she had no choice but to run towards the source. Sprinting down the hall towards one of the guest bedrooms in another wing of the house, she flung the door open and stared at her sister. "Bella!" she breathed. This kind of thing didn't normally happen with her sister. "What happened?"

:::

She stared, wide-eyed up at the canopy of the bed, trying to catch her heard the patter of footsteps approaching. Move. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. Weak. by fear of a dream. muscle was still tensed as if preparing for another wave of near indescribable pain. It's over. Someone's she didn't. The memory was vivid in her mind reawakened by it's echo within the door flung open and she turned her head intending to tell whoever it was to get out. Cissy. She sat up, turned away, and folded her arms. "Nothing. A dream."

:::

Narcissa frowned, edging closer to her sister. "That was NOT just a dream! I thought someone had broken into the Manor and…" she trailed off. You could have been torturing them, she thought, not voicing her concern. She observed Bellatrix's body language, and hugged herself leaning against the bedpost. "Tell me…or if anything you can tell me over breakfast if you want. Lucius won't be up for a while, at least I don't think."

:::

No. It hadn't just been a dream. Bellatrix turned slightly more towards her sister and lifted her gaze from the pattern on her bedspread. "Break into the manor? Why would anyone do that? Though, I suppose not everyone knows I'm here."At Narcissa's request, Bellatrix sighed and took a moment to decide whether she ought to say anything. "Breakfast, I suppose." She registered her hesitant tone. "Why? What's he done now?"

It was foolish enough of him to think he could be the next Dark Lord. If he was upsetting Cissy—aspiring Dark Lord or not—she'd have words with him.

:::

She shrugged, blinking momentarily. "No idea, really. Just an afterthought," she answered. The manor had enough protection on it to forbid unwelcome visitors from entering the manor. It was dark and foreboding as a haunted mansion by night, yet still a picturesque chateau by day. "Nobody else knows you are here but Lucius, myself, and the elves." Narcissa pursed her lips, her eyes darting to another section of the room. "I suppose Draco does, too, but he knows the consequences if he tells anyone."

Narcissa held her breath momentarily for mentioning her son. "It's complicated," she said in regards to the question of Lucius. "You already know half of the situation." This meant, of course, the illusion Lucius put himself under for being the next Dark Lord. Quickly, she wiped a tear forming in her eye. "I don't know whether the other half is supposed to be good or bad. But get dressed. We'll talk downstairs."

:::

No one else knew. She briefly pondered how many people thought they were safe and cozy and settled and never had to worry about Bellatrix Lestrange breathing down their necks ever tried to imagine the reactions of horror: the dilated pupils, the sharp intake of breath, color draining from their faces, smiles sliding off their lips, tensing of stances, hands quickly reaching for their , there might even be words or screams. Her focus shifted to Narcissa as she regained her composure.

Bellatrix wondered what the other half of the situation could possibly stifled a yawn and stretched, "I don't see why you don't want to just talk about it here, but fine. " She wanted to know what Lucius had done now. She wanted the distraction. The dream's intensity was weakening with each passing moment. She hoped that by the time they made it downstairs the echo of her scream in her head would tremble into hopped off the bed, dug some fresh clothes out of a trunk, and changed behind a screen. She re-emerged and yawned again. "Shall we?"

:::

Her sister seemed far off in her thoughts, and Narcissa stared at her for a long moment. "Bellatrix? Are you all right?" But her sister had come back to attention when she'd responded. Narcissa stood up from where she was sitting. "Yes, we shall." The blonde maternal figure took a look at her sister and felt inadequate in her own style of dress. After all, she had just rolled out of bed…that she had shared with her husband the night prior. She made a slight face, but soon shrugged it off as she led the way to the breakfast parlor. "Is there anything in particular you want to order?" she asked, trying to figure out how to word what she really had on her mind to her sister.

:::

"Meat. Bacon and sausage and ham,grease and syrup over pancakes,"said Bellatrix following her sister. "What's the use of a second go around if I don't get to enjoy it?" She wished she knew what was going on in Narcissa's head. She didn't understand the delay in saying what she wanted. She figured her sister had good reason to want the conversation continued elsewhere. Narcissa always had a good reason for doing what she did. Bellatrix usually felt she did, too, but she was less forthcoming about her reasoning. And sometimes reason had nothing to do with why Bellatrix acted. Sometimes, it was simply an urge, a feeling, a flash and it was over before she could think it through.

Sometimes, Bellatrix thought Narcissa was liked better by others because she had learned from her sisters' mistakes. She had learned caution from Andromeda's disgrace and the importance of balance from her older sister's inability to reign in her own ambitions and passions. Bellatrix envied her in some respects, but she would never admit it to anyone. She was too proud. That pride combined with passion for her family's beliefs—if not the traditions— was perhaps the only lesson she had thoroughly learned from her parents.

:::

Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her sister's choice in breakfast. "All right. Pancakes sound good. I think I may want eggs, too." Bellatrix was definitely not on a diet, but then again, she had died and come back. She gave orders to a house elf in the dining room, adding her own selections before the little thing scurried off to act on its mistress' commands.

Still fatigued by the previous night and the issues that plagued her, Narcissa sank into a chair, holding the side of her head by her fingertips and closed her eyes, as if she had a migraine. She sighed. It was time to get on with it and tell Bellatrix what had been irritating her. "I don't love him anymore, Bella," she said of Lucius, eyes still closed.

Inhaling a deep breath, she leaned forward on the table, eschewing all sense of dining etiquette that their mother had taught them. "I've asked—well—demanded a divorce from him. He wouldn't have it." Closing her robe more tightly around her, she averted her eyes from Bellatrix and sat up straighter. "He did make his sentiments known, though, and well…if he loves me, he sure as hell has a terrible way of showing it."

:::

"Hm. Yes, we do," said Bellatrix thinking about the tapestry. The house elves entered with their breakfast choices. Bellatrix grinned and started piling things onto her plate. It was like a heart-attack on a platter with all the sugar and meat and grease, but she knew it would be delicious. She pulled a slightly syrupy bacon slice off her plate with her fingers and ate it like a crisp before licking the oil and syrup off her fingers.

The house elves left and Narcissa continued her 's grin slid away and she growled and speared a particularly plump sausage. "He raped and tried to kill you." It wasn't a question. It was a statement of repulsion and loathing and building dare he? She was her sister. He had no right. She briefly thought about asking Cissy why she hadn't slit his throat, but stopped imagined Cissy would be more likely to poison him if she had ever had the inclination to murder her husband.

"I'd kill him if I thought you'd let me,"said started cutting up whatever was on her plate with more force than was necessary. "How can you talk about food?" She looked down at her plate thinking she'd killed people for asked if there was something going on with her.

Bella licked a bit of grease off her lips and shrugged, "Nightmares."

:::

She pursed her lips and gripped her dining fork again when Bellatrix had put the word so bluntly. "Yes…he did." Through everything, Narcissa had managed to keep her dignified voice intact. "He deserves to die," she said, staring up at the head of the table where Lucius would usually be sitting. "But…" she sighed, "I don't know. This is why I wanted to leave him and stay at the Villa. He can't hurt me there because he isn't allowed there." She tilted her head slightly looking at her sister. "I'm talking about food because you're hungry. What kind of nightmares were you having?"

:::

Bellatrix crossed her legs,set her elbow on the tablecloth, and rested her cheek in her hand. She studied her sister in silence. Narcissa sighed heavily. She closed her eyes. Bellatrix waited for her to speak. The vivid dream-memory's sensation of unease hadn't quite left her and she wasn't about to talk about spoke and Bellatrix was slightly surprised by her declaration.

If Lucius had hurt her he would pay. She held her tongue and allowed her sister to continue. She noted how Narcissa shifted uneasily and fidgeted with her robe, adjusting it. Narcissa was always adjusting something in an attempt to look presentable, but there was something decidedly off in her sister's manner. Bellatrix didn't like it."Damn what he will or won't have. You've given him more than he deserves." She crossed her understood why Narcissa had wanted to move this conversation downstairs.

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes. She wondered what she had missed when she had been gone. Lucius had fallen far from the Dark Lord's good graces, but she had thought or hoped his affections for his wife had remained. She didn't like the vague terms Narcissa was using to circle around to what was bothering her. The concern for her sister and the implied threat towards her husband was clear in her tone,"Cissy…what did he do?"

:::

"Of course I've given him everything I was required to," she replied matter-of-factly. "I've given him Draco, but we know how that situation is at present," she said, slouching in her seat and lightly playing with the silverware. House elves came in with the requested breakfast and they placed the items on the table. Narcissa kept herself quiet until the servants had left them once again. "He forced himself on me," she said bluntly. "I know that I have my duties as his wife but…whatever that was, it wasn't love. It hasn't been, not for a long time." She lightly brushed her hand against her throat. "And I thought he was going to kill me." Her voice had a slight hitch to it. "Am I wrong in wanting to leave him? To make this all end? He's destroyed our family so much—I can't even trust him or Draco at this point and I don't know what to do." She sniffled slightly, beginning to pile a little bit of food on her plate at a time. "Anyway, we must eat. It's not good to let good food get cold. Distract me, Bella," she begged. "Tell me, is there anything going on with you?"

:::

Bellatrix was not a subtle person. She said what she felt and meant. Sometimes her words ran away from her but in this case, her word choice had been deliberate. She smiled when Narcissa admitted Lucius deserved to die. This was one thing they could agree on. And it wasn't often that Narcissa would admit to such unpleasant thoughts. "Leave. You have every right to protect yourself. I'm only here because you are.I could go home or something."

She started eating her pancakes, "Of course, I'm hungry—I haven't eaten anything yet. " Bella poured more syrup. Bella swallowed a bit of pancake before responding to her question. "It was memory. Or I think it was…I'm not sure."

:::

Narcissa bit her lip. Leaving Lucius was what she had wanted all along, but there was still that little part in her holding herself back, holding out for the hope that Lucius would change – that he would apologize and tell her everything was okay. But that was a fool's dream she was getting herself into. She reached across the table for her sister's hand. "You are all I have left in the world, Bellatrix. I don't know where I would be without you." The smile on her face was a solemn one, masking the inner pain and hurt that she carried with her every day. She retracted her arm when Bella started eating. "Do you want to tell me about it?" At the same time, Narcissa was picking at her food, unsure of whether she had the stomach to eat at the moment or not, what with all that was plaguing her.

:::

Bellatrix didn't pull her hand away at first. She could count on one hand the number of people she truly cared about: The Dark Lord who would never return her devotion in the way she craved; Narcissa, her sister and only person she considered family; Kat, her oldest friend; and grudgingly there was still a part of her that cared for her husband even if she had never been in love with him. Her hate for him, however, outweighed that part considerably. "I don't think I've been much help to you, Cissy."said Bellatrix slowly pulling her hand back to continue eating."I dreamt of…nothingness."

:::

She was silent for a moment. "Things happen in which control is beyond our reach, Bellatrix. What's done is done," she simply stated. "There's more behind that nothingness. What are you not telling me?

:::

" always were more gracious…" Bellatrix put down her fork and looked carefully at her sister. "No, that's the problem. I was nothing. Literally nothing. Less than air. I didn't exist…And then…" She was not sure how she wanted to describe it. If she could even put it into words.

:::

She furrowed her brows in confusion. "And…I'm no Muggle psychologist so I'm not sure how to read into that sort of nightmare," she sighed. "Remember it's just a dream. There's nothing true about it."

* * *

><p>To be continued…because we haven't finished this RP in a long, long time. If you think my writing has gone to shit by now, I apologize for the lack of inspiration I've been having. I'm not sure where I'm going with this story anymore but I'll try my damndest to figure something out because Lucissa is my OTP.<p> 


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